Radioactivity refers to the particles which are emitted from nuclei as a result of nuclear instability. Because the nucleus experiences the intense conflict between the two strongest forces in nature, it should not be surprising that there are many nuclear isotopes which are unstable and emit some kind of radiation. The most common types of radiation are called alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
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3

Likely Hashimoto's:
You cant tell anything about thyroid function based on a thyroid scan. This is a common mistake made by radiologists. All you can assess is how much iodine is taken up by the thyroid gland and how it appears, not how much thyroid hormone is being produced. Your TSH is borderline elevated. The most likely cause for these findings in your age group is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Seeing an endo is good
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5

YES!:
You need to be off methimazole at least 4-7 days before the scan. Check w/your doctor before stopping the anti-thyroid drugs and with the nuclear medicine doc before scheduling the scam.
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6

Thyroid scan:
It's a nuclear medicine scan use to evaluate how well your thyroid is working. The result will give information on the size, shape, location and the overall activity of the gland. It can also tell you if a thyroid nodule is functioning or non-functioning and help your doctor determine whether a nodule biopsy is needed. More info with the link below:
http://www.Webmd.Com/a-to-z-guides/thyroid-scan.
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7

Depends:
Usually this is covered by your insurance. If you get a radioiodine thyroid scan it will be more expensive than a tc99m pertechnetate scan. Are you getting a scan alone or scan plus uptake? That will affect costs. I am estimating that you are looking at costs in the range of a hundred to several hundred dollars but these costs are generally set by the administration / management and not physician.
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8

If hyperthyroidism:
If you are having a diagnostic dose of i-123 (usually 200 microci), you should stop taking anti-thyroid medications (methimazole and ptu) and make sure you didn't have iodine-based IV contrast (used in ct scans) in the prior 6-8 weeks. For a diagnostic study a low-iodine diet is not require, unless you are going to received i-131 treatment shortly after the test.
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9

Resume daily life:
If thyroid scan was performed with iodine 123 or technetium 99m pertechnetate involves a low amount of radiation. The half lives are short enough (13 and 6 hours) that most irradiation will have dissipated by 24-48 hours. Whatever i123 does not accumulate in thyroid gland are excreted via kidneys, saliva, and sweat. Tc 99m usually exits via kidneys, GI tract, and saliva. I131 involves higher dose.
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10

Thyroid function:
The patient ingests radioactiveiodine or has intravenous injection of radiotracer technetium to define structure, size, and function of thyroid gland. Overactive ( hyperthyroid) normal, and underactive thyroid glands are determined. Sometimes autoimmune conditions and tumors of the gland can be suspected. Correlative imaging ultrasound, mr imaging, and blood tests are used for confirmation.
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The patient ingests radioactive iodine or has intravenous injection of radiotracer technetium to define structure, size, and function of thyroid gland. Overactive ( hyperthyroid) normal, and underactive thyroid glands are determined. Sometimes autoimmune conditions and tumors of the gland can be suspected. Correlative imaging ultrasound, mr imaging, and blood tests are used for confirmation.
...Read more